They'd gone. They'd spent a few days here, mostly walking around and hanging around my apartment with the twins and it allowed me some time to get some studying done.

There'd been a night when only Niall had come over. For dinner. Nothing more. There was no goodnight kiss. There was only the awkward moment when he was leaving where I wasn't sure if he would kiss me and I wasn't sure how I would react if he did.

He must have decided it was too soon though, because he left with a light kiss on my knuckles.

They left the next day. I didn't go to the airport to see them off.

And so then I began the process of trying to forget it had ever happened because if there was one thing I was sure about it was that I wouldn't hear from them again. They truly were wonderful people and Danielle had turned out to be someone I could be real friends with. But they were gone now. And I didn't think they'd be coming back anytime soon.

But the whole, forgetting thing was kind of difficult when there were a handful of reporters following me around with cameras, trying to ask me questions about the band. Namely Niall.

I had added two more magazines to my collection since they'd been gone.

One contained an article speculating on the parenthood of Ronan and Riddle with a picture of Niall and I walking in the park, holding the twins. And even I can admit that it looks suspicious with us leaning back to the look at the twins faces and then looking at each other.

The other was simply another article asking questions about who I was, where I'd come from and what I was to the band. This one had a blurry picture of the whole gang walking towards the Denny's Niall and I at the front and Paul walking along everyone.

Niall had refused comment for both articles. And even if I'd never admit it I wondered why he'd asked if he could know me if he was going to avoid answering questions about me.

So, imagine my shock when I returned home from picking up the twins from daycare to discover I had a message on the home phone from a number with a strange country and area code.

My breath caught in my throat at the voice on the other end.

"'Ello Lily. It's Niall. Niall Horan. Um…I guess you're at school or the like or just were too busy with Riddle and Ro for a chat I just…you know, wanted to talk, see how you were doing. Actually, I had a list of very specific questions. Like what your favorite movie is. Your favorite colour. If you had any pets when you were little. So just call me back when you get the chance."

And so began our game of cat and mouse. I'd call him, and get his answering machine, so I'd answer the questions and then he'd call back and I would be at school and he'd answer my questions and ask a couple more.

It was probably strange, to communicate that way, but the time difference was a problem when I was a full time student and mother.

And that reminded me, I still needed to call my parents before they saw my picture in the tabloids.

As I dialed the number and held the phone to my ear I took a deep breath. I loved my parents. They were good people, kind people, and they supported my decision to be a mother. They just didn't support my idea of going to school at the same time.

"Hello?" My mother's voice answered on the other end, too loud and slightly raspy from years of sucking on cigarettes.

"Hi mom." I greeted, lowering myself to the ground to help Riddle and Ronan with their toys. I tried not to immediately put the right blocks in the right holes, instead settling for helping them guide their hands to the right place.

"Lily! Oh hold on—John, Lily's on the phone, pick up!" She yelled to somewhere else in the house.

"Lily?" A deep voice suddenly came on another line. A voice that reminded me of mulch and swing sets on a hot summer day.

"Hi daddy." I greeted, opening my mouth wide at Ronan and holding a thumbs up when he successfully lowered a square block into the square hole.

"How are you doing? How are the boys?" My mother jumped in immediately.

"I'm fine. They're fine. We had a little bit of a scare a couple weeks ago when they both got sick but they're better now. Healthy, happy, and growing bigger every day." I smiled.

"And school?" My father asked. I kind of wanted to sigh because I knew as soon as I answered the question what was going to come next.

"A little stressful but I'm keeping up with my grades." I said.

"Well…I just don't know why you have to go to school at all. You know you could—"

"Yes, mother, I know I could just stop and take my inheritance and never have to work again but I don't want to. I can do this mom. I can be normal."

"Think about your boys sweet-heart." My dad stepped in.

"Daddy I am. I don't want them to grow up the way I did. Never wanting anything. Kids aren't supposed to get everything they want. It teaches them to look at life appropriately. It builds character." I argued.

"But you turned out just fine!"

"No. I was a bratty child who thought I should get everything I desired. And you let me be that way. It took Ali getting pregnant for me to realize that sometimes life isn't fair. I need to do this mom." I said, smiling at Riddle when he looked at me. They could tell when I was distressed.

"We understand." My father interrupted what my mom was about to say. "We just worry is all."

"I know you do, but I'm tired of having this argument. I don't work. I use the inheritance money to pay for rent and food but I'm trying to just…keep things normal. Riddle and Ro have food and clothes but they don't get every toy they want. We don't have cable. We have a crappy TV and they share a room and I like it this way. I want them to learn to earn things."

"We understand." My father repeated, although I heard my mother huff on the other end of the phone. "Now, care to explain why you have been pictured with a member of a famous boy band?" He moved on quickly, and my stomach definitely only dropped a little bit.

"Well…he's just a friend. I mean, he wants it to be something else and I do to but we're taking this slow…whatever it is. He lives very far away and I just…I have the boys. I can't be irresponsible anymore. So I don't know…it's hard to explain what exactly is going on there." I struggled for words.

"Just promise us you're being careful." My mother pleaded.

"Of course I am." I said, sighing at her worry. Mothers have a horrible tendency to do that.

"Well then we trust you. You know that right? We trust you." My dad said, and I blinked back tears. I really missed them sometimes.

"I know. Thanks you guys. I have to go though. Riddle and Ronan want me to play with them. I love you guys okay? Take care." I said. And hung up after they had returned the goodbyes. "What're we playing boys?" I asked, falling forward onto my stomach and allowing Riddle to get up and climb onto my back. "Horsey?" I asked, getting up on my hands and knees. "Hold on to me buddy." I said, waiting for his hands to curl tightly into my shirt.

I ended up carrying them each around the room four times before I was simply too tired. They were getting big after all.

"Okay boys, no more." I sighed, falling onto my back on the carpet. Riddle still decided he could lay on me, and placed his head on my stomach. "Mommy's tired." I sighed, wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead as Ronan curled up against my shoulder.

"Ma ma." He cooed quietly, putting his little hand on my face. I leaned my head to the side and kissed his palm, smiling against the slightly damp, warm skin.

"I love you." I said, reaching up and running a hand through his hair, while my other one reached down to lay itself against Riddle's back.

I was supposed to be studying. I had a final coming up after all.

But as Riddle and Ronan began to babble at each other, neither moving from my side, I decided that it could wait.

The knock on the door at four in the morning was not something I was happy about. But the reporter on the other side with a camera pointed at me, snapping pictures as soon as I opened the door wide enough, just pissed me off. I slammed the door immediately, locking it again.

"Ugh." I sighed, walking through the living room to go back to bed. Then I noticed the 1 blinking on the answering machine. Might as well.

"Hey Lily. Niall again. I'd have to say that…well, I'm closer to my mom. My parents divorced when I was five so things have been kind of hard. I mean, I love them both and everything but it's hard to know them both the same way, you know? I'm probably not makin' any sense. But…I was really wonderin'…see we have this interview tomorrow and I know they're gonna ask about you so I was wonderin' well…I already asked but, can I know you? Now that you've had a taste of the paparazzi, do you still say yes?"

I sat on the couch for ten minutes thinking before I called him back. He answered on the second ring.

"Lily?"

"Hey Niall." I smiled in the dark.

"I thought you wouldn't get my message until-"

"Paparazzi woke me up. I figured why not." I said, talking through a yawn.

"Right…sorry. How are the boys?"

"They're fine. Learning new words. Riddle is actually close to being able to say want. So, that'll be fun." I laughed, shaking my head. "But to answer your question, yes, you can know me. I mean, I think at this point you really do know me. And saying you don't won't make them stop. You know that." I said.

"It's true, and I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're easy to talk to. Even if this is still crazy and weird. And since you told me about your parents, I'll tell you about mine really quick." I said, laying back on the couch and stretching.

"I'm all ears." He said. I thought I could hear the rest of the boys in the background, and I wondered where he was. But right, me first.

"My parents are still together and live in Florida. They're your typical retiree's except they retired very early. They enjoy cooing over Riddle and Ronan and sending them presents that I tell them not to send and they're just now learning to understand my desire to go to school."

"Understand…?" Niall asked.

"I…" This was it. I didn't tell people my parents were millionaires. I mean, it was a pretty big thing when you considered that that made me a millionaire too. But…I just…wanted to tell him. I wanted him to know me.

"Lily?"

"I'm rich." I blurted out. "Like…really rich. I don't have to work if I don't want to. I could quit school, move into a nice big house and never worry about anything ever again. But…I want to go to school. It's why they have to learn to understand. I just-"

"Want to earn it." Niall said, and I fell silent for a few moments.

"Yeah," I finally muttered. "Exactly."

"This may be a bit forward, and it may make you uncomfortable but I have to say it." Niall began, and I held my breath. "If I was there with you, right now, I'd kiss you." He said, and I knew my face was stop-light red in that moment.

"I..I'd l-let you." I forced out the words. Because now was not the time to be a chicken.

"I'm glad to hear it." He chuckled, and then we were silent. We didn't have to fill it with meaningless words. It was enough for me to just lie there, listening to his nearly inaudible breathing on the other end. It was like we were together, in some way, because I could hear him just be and I didn't want to say anything.

"I have to go. I have school in a few hours." I whispered after what felt like forever.

"Watch the interview later. We'll be on the Jeremy Kyle Show. I'm sure you'll be able to look it up on youtube." He said.

"Okay…goodnight." I said.

"Goodnight."

And then I went back to sleep.